The Heart's War A Glory love story
by PiecesOfRainbow7
Summary: Alexandra DeWitt has always felt hampered down by her gender and the restrictive time- when she joins the 54th regiment dressed as a man, she is looking for adventure. What she finds is love. OC/Colonel Shaw, a fun, sweet, hopefully long story!
1. Chapter 1: Brave as a Fool

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

Hello, my name is PiecesOfRainbow7, also known as BlatantMarySue on the website ! Some of you may have seen this story before - unfortunately it was plagiarized by a certain "author" on this site who shall remain nameless unless she decides to do anything else annoying! Yes, someone actually copied and pasted it on and tried to pass it off as her own!  
Well, it's all sorted out now, so here is the original, unadulterated story! Hope you all enjoy :D

CHAPTER ONE:

Alexandra shifted uncomfortably in her corset and sighed an exasperated sigh as she gazed listlessly out the window into the streaming rain. The voice of her father's scolding was droning in and out of her ears.

"…Absolutely disgraceful, you have brought nothing but shame to this family, when we have sacrificed so much to give you…"

Her father was pacing ungracefully in front of the flickering fire that mirrored his rage. "What have you to say for yourself?"

"Nothing," she responded, defiantly. "I'm sorry to have caused you distress, father, that is the best I can offer." Her father's expression softened.

"Alexandra, you're all I have left since your mother's death, and you know I love you no matter what… but you cannot expect to behave so badly and not expect to receive any consequences."

"What consequences, specifically?" Alexandra's eyes narrowed. Her father took a deep breath and turned away.

"I've made a special arrangement, daughter."

Well this was different.

Alexandra stood looking at herself in the mirror. She was bound in a thick navy blue uniform and her flaming red hair was tucked away in a jaunty cap. So this was what her father had meant.

Though she loved him, she felt a resonating anger toward her father. It was only because of his neglect that she had ended up in this mess to begin with. It all started with the death of her mother a year before to the fever. Unable to cope, retired General Dewitt had sent his daughter to a finishing school in London. Alexandra only wanted to stay and spend her twentieth year among the many family farms with her friends and her father, the only parent she had left. Instead she found herself in a stuffy school surrounded by affected, competitive teenage girls. She had never been much of a girl's girl, always preferring to spend time outside getting dirty rather than sitting by dim firelight embroidering daisies.

In London she grew restless and entered into some situations that could be considered debaucheries—the pinnacle of which consisted of embarking on an intimate relationship with the stable boy who then proceeded to sell the story to the papers. Not only was it improper for a socialite of her status and wealth to be matched with a poor, working-class man, but it was also a complete scandal because the entire London population and indeed many in the country knew that the couple had engaged in dangerous interactions with no plans whatsoever to marry.

Now, she knew nothing of his whereabouts. The last she heard from him, he was moving to the industrious North to work in a cotton factory. _Well, good riddance_, she thought to herself as she crossed her arms in front of the mirror and inspected herself more carefully. To her, what she saw didn't look like a man. Certainly, her ample bosom was bound tightly and her hair was securely fastened atop her head and hidden underneath the cap, but her eyes were still womanly. She exhaled gruffly and slouched, trying to adopt a manly look.

There was a quiet knock at the door.

"Come in?" She said in a high voice, before catching herself and repeating, "Come in!" in a lower register. Her maid, Isabel entered and gasped when she saw her mistress.

"My Goodness," She gasped. "You don't look at all like yourself!"

"Don't I?" Alexandra asked, uncertainly, before looking back at the mirror. "I'm not sure…"

"Oh, no, Mistress. Really, it's an amazing transformation." Alexandra continued to adjust her posture for a moment, before giving an exasperated sigh.

"I'm sorry. Did you need me for something?"

"Yes, miss, your father wants to see you." "Of course he does." Alexandra said, flatly. Then, with a softer tone, she turned to face the maid. "Isabel, do you think this is foolish?"

The maid thought for a moment before saying, "Isn't it what you wanted, miss?"

"Well, yes!" Alexandra emoted. "Of course I want to fight! I care about the cause just as much as any man!"

"Then I don't think it's foolish, miss. I think it's brave."


	2. Chapter 2: The Honor's All Mine

CHAPTER TWO

Alexandra wasn't feeling brave as the carriage pulled up to the square a few weeks later. Hundreds of enlisted black men were clumped together in a writhing mass of anticipation and excitement. At the front, Alexandra could see a few white officers conferring, and her throat constricted with dread.

Certainly, she had perfected her manly appearance, but she was still certain they would see through her. For once, she was grateful for her father's extremely high rank and immense wealth. The carriage stopped close to the elevated area where the officers were. Alexandra swallowed, but her mouth was dry. She peered out the window at the other officers. One, Alexandra recognized. Colonel Hastings was a family friend who knew all about her father putting her into the army. He was her liaison, and though he was not involved with the 54th regiment, he was there to introduce her to the other officers, and of course give her moral support. Several officers surrounded him. The two standing on the elevated part were speaking earnestly to each other. One, a Sergeant, was a handsome young blond gentleman with a cigar in one hand, a glint in his eye, and an aloof expression. The other, clearly a Colonel, had brown hair, eyes, and stubble. He had high cheekbones and a deep attractiveness that evoked a stir in Alexandra's chest. She immediately shook the flutter away. After a deep breath, she grasped the handle and opened the door.

The excitement was palpable in the air. Alexandra looked around at the earnest faces of the men who had never been given a chance and felt a swell of emotion. She was now absolutely certain she was doing the right thing.

She snaked through the crowd and caught Hastings' eye. He was a robust, cheerful man of a commanding stature with sparkling blue eyes and thick salt-and-pepper hair. He was a few years younger than her father, but not by many. To Alexandra, he was like an uncle.

Now, he approached her with a smile and an exclamation of, "Ah!"

"Hello, Colonel!" Alexandra said in her best man's voice—luckily, her speaking voice was low anyway. When he was close enough, she whispered, "How do I look?"

"Strapping, dear, simply strapping," he whispered back, and then in a loud voice, said "Lieutenant, so good to see you! Won't you come and meet the other officers?"

So, here it was, ready or not. The two men Alexandra had seen earlier turned to look at her. She met their eyes and gave what she hoped was a manly smile.

"Sirs, this is Lieutenant Alexander Dewitt," said Hastings. "I can vouch for him personally, I served with his father. A fine, fine family!"

"Of course!" Said the blond gentleman. "There is no question, General Dewitt was a great soldier."

"This is Sergeant Cabot Forbes," Hastings said, gesturing to the blond. Forbes extended his hand and Alexandra shook it robustly… possibly too robustly, as Forbes raised his eyebrows and shook his hand out once it was released.

"And this," Hastings continued, "Is your commanding officer, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw."

The dark haired man nodded and extended a hand. As Alexandra shook it, she felt another stirring in her chest. Irritated, she tried to squash it. _I'm a man now remember? Girlish fancies are out of the question! _

"Sir, it is an honor to meet you and to fight alongside you." Alexandra said, then immediately wished she hadn't. Even in her manly tone, she worried that it sounded like gushing.

"Please, the honor is mine. Your father is a great man." He said, smiling. Alexandra was beginning to tire over the heaps of praise being given to her father. Despite this, she let go of his hand and smiled back. However, he continued: "I wasn't aware that General Dewitt had a son."

"Ah, well, yes, you see," Hastings chimed in, "Alexander has been away studying in Europe, Colonel. In fact, he earned his rank marching with the British army!"

"Really!" Colonel Shaw said, his eyebrows raised. "Impressive. Well, we must get this underway, but it is an honor to have you with us."

Alexandra smiled and turned with the others to face the crowd. Discreetly, she let out a breath she had been holding. There had been no alarming unmasking, and she was thankful for that.

The event began, and Colonel Shaw mounted a horse. The regimental band played a march as he rode around the crowd, taking a good look at his privates. When he returned to the front, he announced, "Good morning, gentlemen. I am Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. I am your commanding officer. It is a great pleasure to see you all here today. It is my hope that the same courage, spirit, and honor, which has brought us together, will one day restore this union. May God bless us all!" The crowd erupted in cheers. We commenced with forming companies, and a number of the other white officers launched forth into the crowd, issuing orders and assembling soldiers. It was chaos. Sergeant Forbes leaned over and whispered, "Well, this is going to be interesting." Alexandra shifted her weight.

"Yes, I think it is."


	3. Chapter 3: An Ally Emerges

CHAPTER 3

The next few days went by, and Alexandra was finally adjusting. She had gotten into a rhythm, she felt, and began to see playing a part as fun and amusing. Best of all, she was finally being able to really be involved in the war. Her entire life she had felt limited by her sex – not to say that she didn't absolutely love being a woman… it was more that she felt that society wasn't quite ready for what they had to offer.

Anyway, if she'd wanted hard work and excitement, she'd gotten it. On the third day of a grueling recruitment process, the officers and the regiment packed up and migrated to their official training grounds.

Alexandra stood on a slight hill, watching the soldiers find their tents. She directed a very young and a middle-aged man to the nearest tent, and then turned around to find her own quarters. Up the hill was the main brick building (which housed the dining hall and a training barn), where she understood the officers would be sleeping. However, just as she was about to stride through the doors, a hasty hand grabbed her arm and pulled her to the left.

"Nope." It was Sergeant Forbes. "I'm afraid you're not listed in these quarters," he said with a chipper briskness.

"I'm – I'm not?"

"No… most of the Lieutenants are in _those _quarters." He put an arm around her shoulders and pointed matter-of-factly at a large cabin across the muddy courtyard and further up the hill, protected by a few trees. He then turned to her with a large grin of amusement. "Let's go have a look-see, shall we?"

"Um… alright..." He steered her over to the cabin.

"After you," he said, holding open the door. Hesitantly, she walked up the wooden steps and into the dim room, which was pierced with dusty beams of late afternoon sunlight. Alexandra halted in her tracks when she saw that it was a low-ceilinged, open room with about six cots in close proximity. She only just managed to conceal the grimace of panic that flashed across her face.

"Ah, this is… just… charming." She moved to the closest bunk and gingerly placed her rucksack on the edge. "I suppose this bunk is mine…"

"Lieutenant, I wonder if I might have a word?" Forbes closed the door behind him, checked outside the window, and then leaned against the door, eyebrows raised.

"Al- alright…?" There was a long and awkward pause. Forbes just looked at her, almost accusingly, but with an amused flicker dancing around his expression. When she didn't speak, he shifted his weight off of the door and took an inch of a step forward and cleared his throat.

"I don't know exactly how to approach this, Lieutenant, but I feel that there's a matter that perhaps we ought to discuss."

Alexandra's heart dropped like a stone into her stomach and her every muscle went tense - this was it, it was all going to come out.

She cleared her throat and tried to adopt a position of casual curiosity. He paused for a moment, tongue in cheek, waiting to see if she would say anything. She didn't. So, he forged ahead.

"Something tells me that perhaps these quarters will _not_ suit you."

"They… they won't?"

"No," he was trying to be delicate. "No, something tells me that you'll be wanting something a bit more private."

"Oh, that's ridiculous, why would I want – "

"I must say, you did a very impressive job. Even I myself was fooled for a moment, and I consider myself quite an expert!" He was grinning, now.  
"An expert on what?" She asked, dreading the answer. He looked at her coolly in the eyes.

"Women."

Damn. Well, that was it then. But she still felt like she had to put up some form of a fight.

"I don't know what you mean, sir."

"The greasepaint you're using for whiskers is melting off in the heat, Lieutenant."

Alexandra couldn't breathe. She swallowed hard and began to swoon. He saw her sudden frailty and reached out to catch her shoulder.

"Woah, there, easy!" He steadied her and she looked shamefaced at him. "It's alright, it's alright, I won't say anything!"  
"You won't? But… why?"

"Well," he shrugged pleasantly, "you've made this valiant of an effort to be taken for a different gender… I can't doubt your conviction. Besides. I like you. You're highly amusing to watch." He winked.

She sat down on the bed, exhausted but strangely relieved to have a confidante. He sat down next to her and smiled down at his clasped hands.

"Look," he said. "I can help you. Now you're lucky that I'm as open-minded, kind-hearted, and, dare I say it, _noble_ as I am, but you'd be hard pressed to find others like that in the regiment. You can't be found out."

"I know. God, if it's that easy to tell…"

"It isn't, it isn't!" He hurriedly reassured her. "I just happen to know women. But you'll need different sleeping arrangements." She looked at him expectantly as he held out this dramatic pause. "…And I've made them for you." He raised his eyebrow.

"Oh… OH! No, no, no," she stood up, angrily and turned on him. "How DARE you suggest that, you slimy, cold-hearted – "

"I'm going to stop you there." He stood up and grabbed her shoulders again, this time in a _snap-out-of-it_ kind of way. "That is _not_ on the cards here." She didn't know whether to be pleased or mildly offended, but she kept her mouth shut. "I happen to be a gentleman and would _never_ suggest such an outrageous act of misogyny. However, I have taken the liberties of arranging for you to sleep in the cabin with myself and Sergeant Jasper. I hope you don't mind, I told him – that is, we had a sort of bet, and now he owes me _rather_ a large sum of money –" he rubbed his hands together, pleased with himself. "—but the point is, we'll give you a room of your own. Let me show you."

She was blown away. As he led her out of the cabin and across the yard to another, smaller building, she couldn't fully let go of her suspicious reticence, but she was silently saying her prayers of thanks that she had an ally.


End file.
